A quick and easy Mushroom Spinach Carbonara recipe, using just Italian hard cheese, eggs, and pasta water to whip up a creamy sauce, perfect for a simple pasta dinner.
I realised I haven’t posted a pasta recipe in a while! Well, here’s one for the books – a simple vegetarian-friendly, quick and easy, Mushroom & Spinach Carbonara recipe. For meat lovers, you can totally make it a halal carbonara with turkey rashers using the same concept as well.
A typical carbonara draws flavours from the saltiness in pancetta (or turkey bacon for halal version). For a vegetarian version, I’ve used a generous amount of garlic and butter to draw flavours. The recipe goes well with mushrooms, and I personally like to add spinach in it as well.
Sometimes I feel like carbonaras in restaurants come out too creamy and heavy. It’s a common misconception that carbonara recipes require lots of heavy cream and cheese. Nope! All you needed is Italian hard cheese, egg yolks (plus an egg), and pasta water. Simply whisk them all together and then allow to cook under low heat until the sauce turns into a creamy consistency. The flavours will turn out deliciously rich but not overly heavy to taste.
Ingredients:
- Spaghetti
- 1/2 cup Pasta Water
- 40g Italian Hard Cheese (plus more for topping)
- 1 Egg + 2 Yolks
- Mushrooms
- Spinach (optional)
- Butter
- Garlic
- Chilli Flakes
- Oregano
- Salt & Pepper
I used to make this fairly often in my student days. The ingredients are cheap enough to get, and it’s incredibly easy to make. Plus it’s very presentable at the dinner table! Till today, this carbonara recipe continues to be one of my go-to’s for quick dinner ideas. Give it a try and let me know your thoughts!
Mushroom Spinach Carbonara Recipe
Ingredients
- 250 g Spaghetti (reserve ½ cup pasta water)
- 1 tbsp Butter
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 1 tsp Chilli Flakes (optional)
- 300 g Mushrooms sliced
- 75 g Spinach
- 1 tsp Oregano
- Salt & Pepper
- 40 g Italian Hard Cheese grated (plus more for topping)
- 1 Egg
- 2 Egg Yolks
Instructions
- Bring a pot of salted water to boil. Cook pasta according to package instructions. Reserve the pasta water.
- Melt butter in pan. Cook garlic and chilli flakes (if using) until fragrant.
- Add mushrooms and cook until softened. Season with oregano and generous amount of salt & pepper.
- Add spinach and cook until wilted. Toss in the cooked pasta.
- In a bowl, whisk together the egg and egg yolks with Italian hard cheese. Season with lots of salt & pepper. Mix in ½ cup pasta water.
- Turn to low heat. Pour in the egg-cheese mixture and stir until a creamy sauce forms.
- Top with more grated cheese and serve immediately.
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